Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) released a “five-pillar” plan to address immigration.
The plan seeks to increase the number of Border Patrol agents, reform the asylum system, expand legal immigration pathways, provide a pathway to citizenship for “long-term undocumented residents who contribute to our communities,” and address the causes of migration.
Gallego’s plan also calls for phasing in the E-Verify system for businesses to determine whether migrant employees may legally work in the United States.
Another element of the Democrat’s plan is increasing “key visa and Green Card caps” and either removing or increasing “arbitrary per-country caps.”
“Remove or significantly increase arbitrary annual per-country visa caps that currently mean high-skilled foreign nationals from populous countries who fill critical labor gaps must wait decades to receive a Green Card and contribute to the U.S. economy,” the plan says
Discussing citizenship pathways to Dreamers and undocumented immigrants, Gallego’s plan states that it is a “moral imperative” to address DACA recipients and “bring these migrants out of the shadows.”
“We don’t have to choose between border security and immigration reform. We can and should do both,” Gallego said in a statement. “Americans deserve the right to feel safe [knowing] their border is secure, but for decades, Congress has tried and failed to take action because politics got in the way. It’s time to push forward and enact a plan that works.”
As of January 2025, the number of foreign-born or immigrant population, including both legal and illegal immigrants, in the United States reached 53.3 million, accounting for nearly 16% of the entire U.S. population. The number is an all-time high, according to the Center for Immigration Studies.
